San Anselmo () is an
incorporated town
An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation.
Canada
Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.
United States
An incorporated town o ...
in
Marin County, California
Marin County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat a ...
, United States. San Anselmo is located west of
San Rafael,
at an elevation of .
It is located about north of
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. The town is bordered by San Rafael to the east,
Fairfax to the west, and
Ross to the south.
Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...
dominates the view to the south. The population was 12,830 at the
2020 census.
History
Early history
San Anselmo sits on
Coast Miwok
The Coast Miwok are an Indigenous people of California that were the second-largest tribe of the Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of present-day Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golde ...
land which was inhabited prior to American and Spanish settlers. The land in and around San Anselmo was mostly
pastoral
The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...
until 1874, when the
North Pacific Coast Railroad
The North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) was a common carrier narrow-gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) and rebuilt the southern section into a standard-ga ...
(NPC) added to its line a spur track from San Anselmo to San Rafael. In 1875, the railroad completed a line from
Sausalito to
Tomales and north to
Cazadero via San Anselmo. For a few years, the town was listed on railroad maps as "
Junction", but in 1883 the name San Anselmo came back into use. The San Anselmo post office opened in 1892.
Two postal substations were operated: Lansdale, from 1924 to 1962, and Yolanda, from 1924 to 1954.
From 1902 until the early 1940s, San Anselmo was part of Marin's
Northwestern Pacific (in 1907, investors formed the NWP) Electric Train system. The Miracle Mile's and Center Boulevard's current "raised roadbed" were the railroad's right of way.
Becoming unprofitable as a result of competition from the automobile and the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, the railway was officially closed on March 1, 1941. The last of the major San Anselmo railroad station buildings was razed in 1963.
The population of San Anselmo increased after the
1906 San Francisco earthquake
At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...
. Wealthy individuals displaced from San Francisco moved to their summer homes in San Anselmo, making them their permanent residences.
The 1913 electric train schedule shows a commute time from San Anselmo to the
Sausalito Ferry to the Ferry Building in San Francisco of a mere 58 minutes, including the 32-minute ferry transit.
San Anselmo
incorporated on April 9, 1907. Its name came from the Punta de Quintin land grant, which marked the valley as the Canada del Anselmo, or Valley of Anselm, ''Anselm'' being the name of a Native American who was buried in the area. San Anselmo was a
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
capital in the early 1900s.
World War II
Sleepy Hollow ammunition storage
During World War II, the Army based a small ammunition storage dump, known as ASP #2, about up Butterfield Road from Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The facility was located between the road and San Anselmo Creek and had 23 to 45 men stationed there.
There were two batteries composed of four-inch antiaircraft cannon manned by five soldiers on a 24-hour basis. One battery was on Stuyvesant Drive and the other on Oak Springs Hill.
During the war, the
Sleepy Hollow Country Club, located in the old Hotaling mansion, was still open and provided a pleasant break from "grueling" guard duty, according to those stationed at the ammo dump.
Air raid wardens
During World War II,
air raid wardens, like Zinnia and Alfred Heiden of San Francisco Blvd., patrolled their assigned neighborhood during nighttime air raid drills to notify neighbors of any light that shone out of their houses. Windows were covered with cloth or thick paper during the war to deny enemy bombers illuminated nighttime bombing targets.
Pilot training accidents
In the late afternoon of November 2, 1941, five weeks before the US entered the war, San Anselmo residents were startled when two low-flying
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
warplanes roared up the valley at just above roof level and crashed into the east side of Bald Hill (often incorrectly reported as Mount Baldy or Bald Mountain) at 5:40 pm.
Element leader Lt. Thomas "Bud" L. Truax and Lt. Russell E. Speckman were killed when their planes crashed, in low visibility, into Bald Hill, just shy of the peak. It was almost dark, was misty and they were under a low cloud ceiling. They were critically low on fuel and part of a larger training group that had gotten separated. They were under the wintertime marine layer of low clouds that are common in the Marin County area, searching for nearby
Hamilton Field to land.
Truax Field / Dane County Regional Airport, located in Madison, Wisconsin, was named in memory of Lt. Truax.
A third pilot, Lt. Walter V. "Ramblin" Radovich, had left the formation over San Rafael, almost hit the city courthouse on 4th Street, circled the Forbes Hill radio beacon (37°58'44.73"N,122°32'50.78"W), clipped a tree and then turned northeast, towards Hamilton Field. Unsure of what the oncoming terrain would be and critically low on fuel, he decided to climb up though the typically thin marine cloud layer to , trim the airplane for straight and level flight and bail out. According to USAAF accident reports, his left leg was broken when exiting the plane and he parachuted down, landing near Highway 101 in Lucas Valley, reportedly near where Fireman's Fund / Marin Commons is currently located (38° 1'10.66"N, 122°32'29.36"W). Ironically, after Lt. Radovich bailed out, the airplane slowly descended back down through the clouds and made a relatively smooth "gear-up" landing.
Post-WWII
On March 12, 1974, San Anselmo officially became a town. In 1963, a cast iron statue of a deer affectionately known as "Sugarfoot" by locals was donated to the town by Joeseph Dondero. This statue still stands today and children enjoy riding on his back after trips to the library next door.
The town features in the song "
Snow in San Anselmo" by Irish-born singer/songwriter
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
, about an unusual bout of winter weather that occurred when he was living in Fairfax, near San Anselmo, in the 1970s.
San Anselmo's most prominent resident, movie director
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
, used some of the proceeds from his film ''
American Graffiti
''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat ...
'' to buy an old
Victorian house
In Great Britain and former British colonies, a Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of Queen Victoria. During the Industrial Revolution, successive housing booms resulted in the building of many millions of Victori ...
in San Anselmo; his then-wife
Marcia Lucas named it "Parkhouse." Lucas worked on his ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' script for two and a half years, writing much of it at the back of his San Anselmo house in a room he shared with a gaudy
Wurlitzer jukebox. In 1977, Lucas screened an early version of ''Star Wars'', without completed special effects, at his San Anselmo home for a small group of Hollywood friends, including the producer
Alan Ladd Jr., directors
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
,
Brian DePalma, and
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
, and screenwriters
Jay Cocks
John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College.[Willard Huyck
Willard Miller Huyck, Jr. (born September 8, 1945) is an American retired screenwriter, director and producer, best known for his association with George Lucas.
Career
Huyck and Lucas met as students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and b ...](_blank)
, and
Gloria Katz.
Geography
The average high temperature is , in July, and the average low temperature is , in January and December. The record high was in July 1972, and record low was in December 1990. Average rainfall is , with the rainiest month being January.
All but a sliver of San Anselmo lies within the Ross Valley Watershed that flows into
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
. The principal waterway of the town's portion of the watershed is San Anselmo Creek, a branch of Corte Madera Creek. Two of San Anselmo Creek's tributaries, Sleepy Hollow Creek and Sorich Creek, also flow through the town, as do East Fork Creek and West Fork Creek, Sorich Creek's two tributaries.
There are three main roads running through San Anselmo. Their junction is known locally as the Hub, which lies near the central business district.
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an approximately 43.8 mile east–west arterial road in Marin County, California, running from the trailhead for Point Reyes Lighthouse at the end of the Point Reyes Peninsula to Interstate 580 just west of th ...
runs north from Ross, turns northwest at the Hub, and then proceeds west to Fairfax. Red Hill Avenue (also called "The Miracle Mile") runs west from San Rafael, after 4th Street and 3rd Street merge, and into the Hub where it becomes Center Boulevard. Center Boulevard runs northwest from the Hub to Fairfax and Sir Francis Drake parallels Center Boulevard to Fairfax, offset to the north.
The town's natural skyline is dominated by the hills of Ross Valley. To the north are Red Hill and Grove Hill. To the southwest is Bald Hill. To the east is Moore Hill. In the distance to the south is
Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...
.
A large part of southern and western San Anselmo is built on a natural floodplain. About every 15–23 years, heavy rains cause San Anselmo Creek to
flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
the center of town by up to 4 feet—1925, 1940 ( rainfall in 3 days), 1963, January 1982, as well as December 30/31, 2005. The worst flood, on January 2, 1982 (the highest creek water level, according to interviews with longtime creek-side residents) was preceded by a rainfall amount that exceeded in 12 hours.
San Anselmo's historic raised railroad bed (now Center Boulevard), acts as a dike, providing some flood protection to the west-side houses, upstream of the business district.
A number of homes on the floodplain (called the "Flatlands" by the Town) as far back as at least 1920, have been built with raised foundations to accommodate the minor periodic floods.
Most of the downtown antique and boutique stores and restaurants, for which San Anselmo is well known, are along the banks of San Anselmo Creek.
Demographics
2020
The
2020 United States census reported that San Anselmo had a population of 12,830. The population density was . The racial makeup of San Anselmo was 81.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.8%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 3.5%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.0% from
other races, and 11.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.2% of the population.
The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.2% were institutionalized.
[
There were 5,225 households, out of which 32.9% included children under the age of 18, 51.7% were married-couple households, 6.3% were ]cohabiting
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...
couple households, 27.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 26.9% of households were one person, and 13.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44.[ There were 3,437 ]families
Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(65.8% of all households).
The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% aged 18 to 24, 18.3% aged 25 to 44, 32.7% aged 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 47.2years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males.[
There were 5,518 housing units at an average density of , of which 5,225 (94.7%) were occupied. Of these, 67.1% were owner-occupied, and 32.9% were occupied by renters.][
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income in 2023 was $170,457, and the ]per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $98,602. About 1.3% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
At the 2010 census San Anselmo had a population of 12,336. The population density was . The racial makeup of San Anselmo was 11,134 (90.3%) White, 106 (0.9%) African American, 40 (0.3%) Native American, 437 (3.5%) Asian, 26 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 164 (1.3%) from other races, and 429 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 717 people (5.8%).
The census reported that 99.6% of the population lived in households and 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 5,243 households, 1,695 (32.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,607 (49.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 471 (9.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 173 (3.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 273 (5.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 66 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,564 households (29.8%) were one person and 484 (9.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 3,251 families (62.0% of households); the average family size was 2.93.
The age distribution was 2,879 people (23.3%) under the age of 18, 500 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 2,804 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 4,492 people (36.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,661 people (13.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
There were 5,538 housing units at an average density of 2,068.6 per square mile, of the occupied units 3,484 (66.5%) were owner-occupied and 1,759 (33.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 8,849 people (71.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,434 people (27.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Government and politics
San Anselmo has a council–manager form of government, in which an elected town council creates policy and hires a town manager to implement the policy. The five-member town council is elected by the voters at large. The posts of mayor and vice-mayor rotate among the council. San Anselmo's current mayor is Steve Burdo[ and the Town Manager is David P. Donery.]
The town of San Anselmo is the second-most Democratic political subdivision in Marin County (behind only Fairfax). According to the Secretary of State of California
The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeho ...
, as of October 22, 2012, San Anselmo has 8,622 registered voters. Of those, 5,361 (62.2%) are registered Democrats, 994 (11.5%) are registered Republicans, 1,806 (21.0%) decline to state a political party, and 461 are registered with other parties.
Since 2013 police services have been provided by the Central Marin Police Authority, which also polices the nearby towns of Corte Madera, Larkspur, and portions of Greenbrae.
Federal and state representation
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, San Anselmo is in . From 2008 to 2012, Huffman represented Marin County in the California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...
.
In the California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, San Anselmo is in:
*
* .
Presidential election results
San Anselmo is an overwhelmingly Democratic city in presidential elections. In 2012, Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
received 83.10% of the vote, and in 2016, Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
received 85.43% of the vote.
Notable people
* Dave Anthony
David Sean Anthony (born August 26, 1967) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and podcaster. He is best known as the creator and co-host of the comedy podcast ''The Dollop'', in which he tells notable stories from American history to h ...
(born 1967), comedian, actor, screenwriter, and podcaster.
* Arj Barker (born 1974), stand-up comedian; attended Sir Francis Drake High School.
* John Boccabella (born 1941), former Major League Baseball player
* Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons, U.K., and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missi ...
(born 1950) drummer, percussionist, and vocalist with Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
and founder of the new wave group Missing Persons.
* Gary Fisher (born 1950), inventor of the mountain bike; opened his first store, MountainBikes, in San Anselmo.
* Dana Gilbert (born 1959), tennis player
* Jane Levy (born in Los Angeles 1989), actress; raised in San Anselmo
* George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
(born in Modesto 1944), film director, screenwriter, producer, and entrepreneur
* Don Novello (Fairfax 1943), comedian
* Joe Ryan (born 1996) Major League Baseball player for the Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
* Mary Ann Shaffer
Mary Ann Shaffer (née Fiery; December 13, 1934 – February 16, 2008) was an American writer, editor, librarian, and a bookshop worker. She is noted for her posthumously published work ''The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'', whi ...
(1934–2008), writer; lived and died in San Anselmo
* Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009) was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, ...
, sarod player, composer
* Zakir Hussain, tabla maestro
* Neal Schon
Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist for the rock band Journey. He is the last original member to remain throughout the group's history. He was a memb ...
, guitarist of rock band Journey
* Michael Schwab (born 1952), graphic designer and illustrator; his design studio is in San Anselmo.
*Scott Thunes
Scott Thunes ( ; born January 20, 1960) is a bass player, formerly with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys, Big Bang Beat, and others.
Early life
Thunes was raised in San Anselmo, Califo ...
(born 1960) bass guitarist with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys, Big Bang Beat, and others. Raised in San Anselmo.
Schools
San Anselmo is in the Ross Valley Elementary School District and the Tamalpais Union High School District.[ ]
Text list
/ref>
San Anselmo is home to a variety of schools:
* Brookside Elementary School of the Ross Valley School District grades K-5
* Hidden Valley Elementary School, Ross Valley School District, grades K-5
* Wade Thomas Elementary School, Ross Valley School District, grades K-5
* White Hill Middle School, Ross Valley School District, grades 6–8
* Saint Anselm's Catholic School, a private school founded in 1924 by the Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Church; grades K-8
* San Domenico School, co-ed pre-kindergarten through 12th
* Archie Williams High School, Tamalpais Union High School District, grades 9–12
* San Francisco Theological Seminary
The San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) is a seminary in San Anselmo, California with historic ties to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). SFTS became embedded in a new Graduate School of Theology of the Universi ...
, a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...
system of seminaries
* Stapleton School of the Performing Arts
Notes
External links
*
San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce
San Anselmo Historical Museum
{{Authority control
Populated places in Marin County, California
Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area
Incorporated cities and towns in California
1907 establishments in California
Populated places established in 1907